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Mothers forced to give birth in shackles

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Most state prisons use restraints on women even when they're in labor.
AP Photo

When she became a mother, her body was shackled. In September 2000, Arnita gave birth to her son with her ankles shackled to the hospital bed. Arnita remained shackled as she held her son for the first time and while she nursed him. Like Arnita, most mothers behind bars are restrained during labor, delivery and post-delivery as a matter of routine practice in our nation’s jails and prisons.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I think about these women and how, when I documented their stories of being shackled and asked them why they didn’t seek out legal counsel or any kind of help around the trauma of giving birth in shackles, they responded, “Because I didn’t think that anyone would care.” One mother, who was seven months pregnant and transported from Arkansas to Kentucky with metal waist restraints constricting her pregnant belly during a six-hour ride, broke down and cried that she didn’t feel worthy of anything else.

Their words still haunt me. I am a new mother to two children, born to me in the full dignity of how all of us as mothers want to bring our children into the world. I remember the intense joy of bringing life forward as my husband and family circled me, offering constant love and solace. My babies were brought into the world with all the honor, love and sacredness that every new life deserves.

Yet there is almost nothing sacred about how mothers behind bars give birth to their children. In most state prisons and jails, restraints are routinely used on pregnant women, including when they are in labor and when they deliver their babies. Only three states — California, Illinois and Vermont — have legislation regulating the use of restraints on pregnant women. In the other 47 states and the District of Columbia, no such laws exist. The use of restraints on pregnant women, particularly on women in labor and giving birth, constitutes a cruel, inhumane and degrading practice that rarely can be justified in terms of security concerns during the delivery process. In the three states that outlawed shackling pregnant inmates, there have been no cases of mothers in labor or delivery escaping or causing harm to themselves, security guards or medical staff.

The practice of shackling pregnant mothers in labor and delivery is also dangerous to the health and well-being of both the mother and the baby. In June 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated that “physical restraints have interfered with the ability of physicians to safely practice medicine by reducing their ability to assess and evaluate the physical condition of the mother and fetus, and have similarly made the labor and delivery process more difficult than it needs to be, thus, overall, putting the health and lives of women and unborn children at risk.”

So----If you can`t do the time-------If these crooks really wanted to be mothers they would not be in jail, or doing the crimes that put them there.

Probably when they became pregnant didn't know that they were going to end up in jail. The point here is that most probably those women giving birth in jail are citizens and they have no consideration with those babies. But they have consideration with the children of illegal women who come to this country to have children to use them as tools to milk the system. The government does not deport illegal with children because it is "INHUMANE" to separate them from the children and no one is taking those children away from them. Citizens who go to jail and have children don't have the right to keep their children.

Why should the need to punish these women include endangering the life of the baby? An even larger question in my mind is why should we set aside our humanity because of fear of a pregnant woman? I'm sure there are exceptions but it it really necessary to be afraid of an incapacitated woman giving birth? Even if you don't believe the mother deserves to be treated with basic human dignity surely the child does.

That is far kinder than giving birth, while in slav chains being told by a state registered thug of San Mateo county how your infant son will be put to death in a microwave, as the murderer did less time, than a drink driver sent to the joint, as his mother, victim of total wickedness was sent to prison, for daring to consider what would have happened had she opened her mouth, and uttered in detail the devil's thoughts! Watch the news anytime in either Seattle or Tacoma, as three full female skeletons appear during the newscast, where a reporter journalizes their fate, but when she points out that every bone is from a different female, yet each of these, as was reported made every one anatomically correct! Imagine your chief of police's wife being used by Tacoma's street toughs to the point both Crystal and David wanted to commit suicide, yet as they fought over his service revolver where it went off, while he assumed she was dead. With him dead and activist ranting-raving though the day before Crystal squeezed the hand of her mother, and peered into her eyes, yet minutes before a hearing was set to start, in Tacoma's City Hall, poor Crystal Brame died! Don't you worry, don't you fret, for just as sure as the sea is green if you dare to come to Washington State, and tell a joke about Washington state, then they'll put cancer in your drink! The first person to die in the Vietnam War was stationed at Fort Lewis, as is the first person to die in Afghanistan. Here's a test: which fort does Pat Tillman hail? Remember, Fort Ord is closed! Besides, neither Wasington nor Oregon really don't cotton to outsiders, but if you liked the outsider from Tacoma, Washington Ted Bundy's murder sprees in Florida, then you must of love the ones done by the outsiders from Tacoma, Washington Beltway Snipers! Come on in, the water is fine!

Mr Casaubon (I believe your pseudo name), I agree with you that if you commit a crime then you get to be treated like a criminal. However, in this article, the author is clearly talking about women of lesser financial and social means who commit non-violent crimes to feed their addiction. When Mrs. McCain, wife of Senator John McCain, was addicted to drugs and committed a non-violent crime to feed her addiction to drugs; she did not end up pregnant behind bars. When Mr. Limbaugh committed non-violent crimes to feed his addiction to drugs, he did not end up in jail. Unfortunately Mr. Casaubon, poor mothers who commit non-violent crimes to feed their addiction, end up in jail because they cannot afford attorneys available to Mrs. McCain and Mr. Limbaugh. Therefore, Mrs. McCain would never be faced with a situation where she is a non-violent addict, pregnant, criminal in jail. Similarly, Mr. Limbaugh was lucky not to be born to mother shackled to her bed in prison, because she committed Mr. Limbaugh?s crime of Addiction. Furthermore, just to clarify your confusion about handcuffs and shackles ? restraints with extended chains are called shackles by the US prison officials, not handcuffs. Handcuffs, Mr. Casaubon, do not fit around a pregnant woman?s stomach. I respect your right to comment, but please comment intelligently and use examples to support your comments?mothers are mothers whether they are politically connected or not. I am a student at Columbia University and they teach us to have intelligent, non-partisan, pragmatic debates. You gave an empty, fallacious, rant--it did not add to this intellegent debate. Thank you.

Leonora517..."However, in this article, the author is clearly talking about women of lesser financial and social means who commit non-violent crimes to feed their addiction." Leonora that makes them "criminals" no matter how you try and "dress it up." Society has and takes the right to enact the security measures it deems necessary to handle these criminals. There is nothing in giving birth that makes that any less appropriate. The same measures are taken when a convict is transported for any other reason, and the same measures are taken for any other type of medical procedure. The author wants to write "but motherhood is sacred and beautiful and somehow none of the normal rules should apply." The mother here is portrayed as another "victem" of society. Pfui!

It's amazing how many people actually believe they enjoy the same privlledges as the plutocrats that make up this plutocracy of ours: America. They're still proselytizing Toqueville and Puritan morals and mores and wearing their bicyle personlity w/such pride and ardor. Persons of lesser socio economic status should know better, whereas those of higher socio economic status have extenuating circumstances or nary a utterance of criticism or judgement is heard. We are our brothers' keeper...So we keep building prisons for the ne'er-do-well whilst those of superiour breeding and class go about more worldly matters, concerns and family.

Illegal Aliens still get better treatment than these women in Jail. They too broke the law by entering into America without going through the proper channels. My friend from Bulgaria tried for years to get into the states and it has taken year for her to finally get excepted as she was so eager to follow the proper guidelines and didn't want to do anything illegal. But lo and behold we have millions of illegals who milk our system, and get the same rights as those who work their *&*(((*&^ off and who do follow the guidelines. America is so screwed up! Our Government should decrease instead of increasing, they just mess things up and have caused much havoc! Criminals should be watched constantly but I don't see how having these shackles on them is good during their delivery..I mean they are already locked in a room so maybe shackle free while delivering isn't such a bad idea. But then again there are bigger issues that we need to be dealing with. PS: i'm not against the illegal immigrants but think a stricter plan should go into effect. They should be charged a certain percentage too, so that they can help build the economy instead of draining it.

As the daughter of a woman who spent many years incarcerated, for non-violent offenses, I can assure you that the life for the child will not be easy. I loved her more then anyone on this earth, even though my 'parents' who were actually my grandparents tried to convince me she was my sister, I always knew the truth. She died of a drug overdose (and a broken heart) at age 38, her son, 6 years my junior is now a veg (aka Terry Scivo) in a convelscent home, he, too a victim of a broken heart, and drugs to ease the pain of being deprived of a mother and father (his Dad, and all relatives on his paternal side died of either alcohol or drug abuse) Wonder how incarceration without rehabilitation does anyone any good...........my heart goes out to every child with an incarcerated parent, and those parents who truly want to raise their kids.